Across a variety of Mendelian disorders, ∼50–75% of patients do not receive a genetic diagnosis by exome sequencing indicating disease-causing variants in non-coding regions. Although genome sequencing in principle reveals all genetic variants, their sizeable number and poorer annotation make prioritization challenging. Here, we demonstrate the power of transcriptome sequencing to molecularly diagnose 10% (5 of 48) of mitochondriopathy patients and identify candidate genes for the remainder. We find a median of one aberrantly expressed gene, five aberrant splicing events and six mono-allelically expressed rare variants in patient-derived fibroblasts and establish disease-causing roles for each kind. Private exons often arise from cryptic splice sites providing an important clue for variant prioritization. One such event is found in the complex I assembly factor TIMMDC1 establishing a novel disease-associated gene. In conclusion, our study expands the diagnostic tools for detecting non-exonic variants and provides examples of intronic loss-of-function variants with pathological relevance.
Mitochondrial fusion remains a largely unknown process despite its observation by live microscopy and the identification of few implicated proteins. Using green and red fluorescent proteins targeted to the mitochondrial matrix, we show that mitochondrial fusion in human cells is efficient and achieves complete mixing of matrix contents within 12 h. This process is maintained in the absence of a functional respiratory chain, despite disruption of microtubules or after significant reduction of cellular ATP levels. In contrast, mitochondrial fusion is completely inhibited by protonophores that dissipate the inner membrane potential. This inhibition, which results in rapid fragmentation of mitochondrial filaments, is reversible: small and punctate mitochondria fuse to reform elongated and interconnected ones upon withdrawal of protonophores. Expression of wild-type or dominant-negative dynamin-related protein 1 showed that fragmentation is due to dynamin-related protein 1-mediated mitochondrial division. On the other hand, expression of mitofusin 1 (Mfn1), one of the human Fzo homologues, increased mitochondrial length and interconnectivity. This process, but not Mfn1 targeting, was dependent on the inner membrane potential, indicating that overexpressed Mfn1 stimulates fusion. These results show that human mitochondria represent a single cellular compartment whose exchanges and interconnectivity are dynamically regulated by the balance between continuous fusion and fission reactions. INTRODUCTIONThe morphology and distribution of mitochondria differ significantly between the cells of different species and tissues. In addition, mitochondrial volume and morphology vary in function of cellular metabolism, are modulated during cell cycle and development, and during apoptosis (Stevens, 1981;Tzagoloff, 1982;Bereiter-Hahn and Voth, 1994;Church and Poyton, 1998;Diaz et al., 1999;Frank et al., 2001). Live microscopy has revealed that mitochondrial morphology is continuously remodeled by fission and fusion (Nunnari et al., 1997;Rizzuto et al., 1998). In yeast, selective inhibition of either process significantly modifies mitochondrial size and interconnectivity (Bleazard et al., 1999;Sesaki and Jensen, 1999). Among the best known proteins involved in mitochondrial dynamics are Fzo/ mitofusin, a transmembrane GTPase involved in fusion (Hales and Fuller, 1997;Hermann et al., 1998;Santel and Fuller, 2001;Rojo et al., 2002), and Dnm1p/dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1), a dynamin-related protein involved in fission (Bleazard et al., 1999;Pitts et al., 1999;Smirnova et al., 2001).In yeast, mitochondrial fusion has been demonstrated by the diffusion and/or mixing of different matrix proteins during mating of haploid cells (Azpiroz and Butow, 1993;Nunnari et al., 1997). In contrast, mitochondrial fusion has not been studied with similar assays in human cells, and it is not known to what extent the apparent fusion events observed by live microscopy correspond to the formation of intermitochondrial junctions (Bakeeva et al., 1978;Amche...
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.